Bottle cuff



' 13- 1. fi "in April 1940- H. F. BORDEN 2,199,037

BOTTLE CUFF Filed Nov. 24, 1937 Sheets -S he i/ IA Patented Apr. 30, 1940 uN1 TEo STATES PATENT OFFICE '3 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to bottle cuflfs, or more particularly to cufis formed of paper-like material to be placed around bottles or containers of similar shape.

, A paper band or cuff that may be placed around a container. such as a bottle has long been recognized as, a valuable advertising vehicle. Advertising copy printed on such a cufi reaches a special class of trade and the subject matter of the copy may be changedfrom day to day. A removable cuff is particularly adapted to milk bottles or the like which are'customarily refilled by the distributors and consequently must be thoroughlycleaned at frequent intervals, making the use of adhering wrappers impractical. The most important considerations in the manufacture of such cuffs are that they be made of flat stock upon which printing and cutting operations may be conveniently performed, and that they be capable of being quickly formed into a cuff shape and readily. applied to a bottle. Their shape must be such that they are supported by the contour of the bottle itself to occupy a conspicuous position thereon, yet a position. that in no way interferes with ordinary handling of the bottles.

With these considerations inview, it is the object of the present invention to provide ,a bottle evil that is simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture and that may be quickly formed and applied to a bottle.

A further object of the invention is the provision of fasteningmeans for retaining a bottle cuff in a shape that will cause it to be supported by the contour of the bottle, which fastening means will positively prevent. enlargement of either the upper or lower end of the cuif to per- 'mit it to slip from its intended position about the bottle.

A further object is the provision of a bottle cuff having an exceptionallylargearea available for advertising copy in a position of prominence on the bottle to which it is applied.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention are made apparent in the following specification wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

It willalso be apparent upon an understanding of the invention that it is adaptable to bottles of various sizes and shapes, as well as to other types of containers, so the following description which illustrates its application to a specific form of milk bottle should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings-- formed from the blank illustrated in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank from which a bottle cuff embodying the invention is made;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of a bottle cuff formed from the blank illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the same, illustrat- 5 ing it as applied to the bottle;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a blank embodying a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a bottle cuff Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the same.

As illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, a bot tle cuff constructed in accordance with the present invention comprises a blank II), the top edge ll of which is cut on a straight line. The ends l2 and I3 of the blank are tapered slightly to Ward the bottom, the exact angle of this taper being determined by the position that the ends occupy when the blank assumes its folded position, as willpresently be described. The bottom edge I4 is curved to form a downwardly depending central portion as illustrated, which portion provides an exceptionally large area for the reception of printed matter, without interfering in any way with convenient handling of the bottle to which the cuff has been applied, and without detracting from the general appearance of the bottle. I i

, A slit I5 is formed adjacent one end of the blank and is disposed at such an angle that it will assume a substantially vertical position when the'blank is folded and applied to a bottle. A notch I6 is frorrnedadjacent the opposite end of the blank, entering the blank from. its top: edge, and this notch is also disposed at an angle which will cause it to assume a substantially vertical position upon folding of theblank.

To prepare or foldthe blank into its cuff-like form for application to the bottle, the slit l5 and notch l5 are interlocked to secure the opposite ends of the blank together, thus holding the blank in a tapered cuff-like shape. This shape of the blank is generally conical, but the upper andfllower edges follow lines which cause the blank to conform closely to the sides of the bottle,.and the blank presents a much larger area for the display of printed matter than would a .simpletruncated conical cuff.

Fig. 2 illustrates in detail the nature of the interlocking connection formed between the slit I5 and notch l6. Thisconnection is particularly desirable, first, because of the simplicity with which the device may be assembled, and secondly, because of the fact that it positively p-revents expansion or enlargement of the upper end 55 of the cuff. In order to assemble or fold the blank into the cuff-like form illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the point H, which is formed by the juncture of the top H with the side edge 13, is inserted through the slit !5 until the notch l6 interlocks with the upper end of the slit I5. The interlocked ends then normally assume the position illustrated with the end l2 in perfect alignment with the bottom edge which it overlaps, this being due to the angle at which the end 12 has been cut. is lends a neat appearance to the device when viewed from the rear and enhances the appearance of the bottle to which it is applied. In this assembled position, the end l3 comes to rest against the bottom or" the slit I5, and the bottom of the slit I5 therefore acts as a stop, positively preventing further movement of the point I? into the slit and thereby preventing distortion of the shape of the cuff by enlargement of its upper endv It is especially desired to prevent any possibility of enlargement of the upper end of the end, as the proper positioning of the cufl upon the bottle depends partially upon engagement of the upper end with the flaring side walls of the bottle, and in the event that the interlocking connection is such as to permit enlargement of the upper end or opening of the cuff, it is possible that such enlargement will take place after application of the cuff to the bottle with the result that the cuff will slide downwardly on the bottle and occupy a position where the bottom edge does not properly fit the bottle, where the device is on the whole unsightly, and where it will be subject to becoming battered or torn in hurried handling of the bottles by de liverymen and others.

A modified form of the invention is shown in Fig. 4, in which figure, the top edge, rather than being straight as described above, is curved downe wardly at points indicated at 20 and 21 which are equally spaced from the center of the blank. The advantage of this particular shape is that when the device is folded, the opening at the top end thereof is somewhat larger and may be slipped over the flange at the top of the bottle more easily. The shape of the top edge of the blank, however, is so designed that it will conform closely to the neck of the bottle against which it is intended to rest. In this modification, the same interlocking means is employed with the same method of preventing enlargement of the upper end of the cuff. However, a modified form of the slit I5 is illustrated, this slit being provided with a notch 22 disposed centrally and terminating short of. the extreme ends of the slit l5 for the purpose of enabling more rapid insertion of the pointed end IT. The notch 22 is formed on the side of the slit from which the point I! enters, and is a great aid to the insertion of said point in rapid assembly. However, as this notch terminates short of the upper end of the slit which is engaged by the notch l6, and also terminates short of the lower end of the slit which is engaged by the end [3 to prevent enlargement of the diameter of the upper end of the cufi, the function of this slit is ex actly the same after the cuff has been assembled as is the simpler type of slit described above. This notch 22 may of course be applied to either form of the invention herein disclosed.

When the cuff is placed upon a bottle, neither the top nor bottom circumference can expand. This is true of the top for reasons heretofore explained, and it is true of the bottom by reason of the fact that any enlargement of the bottom must be accompanied by a slight contraction of the top. Such contraction is impossible because the top of the cuff snugly fits the neck of the bottle.

The cuff is supported chiefly by engagement of its top and bottom edges with the tapered form of the bottle, and occupies a position well below the top flange by which the bottle is customarily handled and above the large lower portion of the bottle which is subjected to contact with other bottles and the walls of crates or containers in which the bottles are transported. As the cufi is firmly supported in this position, the

large area upon which printed matter may appear is protected against being soiled or mussed, and the bottles with their neatly fitting cuffs carrying a message to the consumer are main tained neat and pleasing in appearance.

The shape of the cufis and the smooth surface presented by their interlocking ends are such that they may be nested within each other to form stacks which may be shipped conveniently and which may be handled readily in automatic dispensing machinery'for applying the cufis to bottles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A bottle cufi formed from a blank adapted to be bent to a cuff-like shape with the edge of one end substantially aligned with the bottom edge adjacent the opposite end, said one end having a slit formed therein, and said opposite end having a notch formed in its upper edge and terminating short of a point on the adjacent end edge a distance equal to the length of said slit, whereby the upper corner of said opposite end will be insertable through said slit with the notch engaging one end of the slit and the said opposite end edge engaging the other end of the slit.

2. A bottle cuff comprising a blank havinga top edge, two end edges and a bottom edge, said blank having a slit adjacent one end on an angle which intersects the top edge and the adjacent end edge, and a notch in the top edge adjacent the opposite end, said slit, notch and edges being so arranged that the upper corner of said opposite end may be inserted in the slit to cause the notch to register with one end of the slit and the end edge adjacent the notch to engage the opposite end of the slit and retain the blank in a cuff-like shape.

3. A bottle cuff comprising a blank having a top edge, two end edges and a bottom edge, said blank having a slit adjacent one end on an angle which intersects the top edge and the adjacent end edge, and a notch in the top edge adjacent the opposite end, said slit, notch and edges being so arranged that the upper corner of said opposite end may be inserted in the slit to cause the notch to register with one end of the slit and the end edge adjacent the notch to engage the opposite end of the slit and retain the blank in a cuff-like shape with one end edge in alignment with a portion of the bottom edge.

HARRY F. BORDEN. 

